A recluse is a person who lives alone and avoids spending time with other people. A recluse might rarely leave their house, decline invitations to gatherings, and prefer solitude to social interaction.

The word describes someone who actively withdraws from society and chooses extreme isolation. While an introvert might enjoy quiet time but still maintain friendships, a recluse cuts off social contact almost entirely. Someone might become a recluse after a painful experience, choosing isolation because they feel safer alone. Others become reclusive simply because they find people exhausting and prefer their own company.

In stories, recluses often live in remote cabins or old houses at the edge of town. The poet Emily Dickinson became increasingly reclusive during her life, rarely leaving her home but writing extraordinary poetry in solitude. Howard Hughes, once a successful filmmaker and businessman, spent his final years as a recluse, cutting himself off from nearly everyone.